The youthful 65 year old and friends

Just before the tasting described in Rheingau throws down the gauntlet, six of the producers presented one ‘rarity’ each, along with their report on the 2010 vintage, and the prospects for German Riesling in general and Rheingau Riesling in particular. The six vintages presented were 63 years apart, and the oldest wine was in the peak of condition, all of which was pretty extraordinary. The wines were shown in the order below.

Incidentally, the screwcap seems to be definitively invading Germany – not necessarily for the absolutely top wines yet, but for a sizeable proportion of the rest, even...